I received an e-mail the other day asking if I would be doing a Veterans Day post, and if you’re reading this sentence, you know the answer to that question. Specifically, the writer wanted to make people aware of Honor Flight Rochester, a group that, well, let me steal this bit from their website, since it says it all:

“Honor Flight is free to all WWII veterans and to veterans from any era who suffer a terminal illness. Our goal is to take every veteran who otherwise would not or could not go, and who wants to fly.”

Now, I am not a veteran, so I can’t speak in that arena of experiences, but I have to imagine it is a powerful feeling. I do remember way back when I was a kid a co-worker of my father talking about his experiences as a dive bomber in the Pacific, but that’s about as close as I get. I also recognize the importance of the trip, since a friend’s father just made the flight recently, and as I type this, he lies in a hospital bed awaiting that final flight we must all take when our time on the planet is up.

Anyway, before my internet goes out again (it was lost for most of the weekend, no idea why), let me give you a few links that were provided to me, so that the word gets out. The town of Pittsford Honor Flight page can be found herefor starters. For a nice article describing the Honor Flight, you can go here and read all about it. If you just want a general overview of Veteran’s Day, you can check the Wikipedia page here (the town of Pittsford’s celebration was yesterday morning, and I apologize out front for not getting the article in prior to that event, but I was slammed with kid stuff, and a dead intenet connection).

And if you have a veteran in your family, or meet one on the street today, take the time to say thanks for you service.

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moved to Pittsford as a teenager and attended Pittsford-Mendon High School. Her greatest passion is as a lover of and advocate for the arts and music. Donna attended Rhode Island School of Design and earned an MFA from R.I.T. She’s a free-lance art director, advertising photographer and copywriter. Her love of narrative and film has led her to direct and produce short films.

Donna developed her awareness of and concern for environmental issues after being
exposed to the chemicals in artist materials in art schools in the US and Canada which
made her ill for a time. Healthy today, she finds pleasure in nature, writing, and music.
She enjoys Pittsford for its picturesque locations, wildlife, and community involvement.

was born in Rochester, lived here for a while until his dad was transferred to Connecticut ("Thanks, Xerox."). Then a few years later they came back to Fairport ("Thanks again, Xerox."), but Bill went to Pittsford schools. He moved over to Pittsford in 1979. He worked a bunch of jobs, played in bands, went back to MCC and then U of R for a Bachelor's degree in the early 90's. Shortly after that, he moved to NYC with his wife, Laura, where he worked at Ogilvy & Mather and Christie's doing tech support. They moved out to Northern Virginia during the Internet boom, hoping to get rich quick, but missed that boat. They moved back to Pittsford in 2001, along with two boys. Bill still plays guitar with the Chinchillas, the Squeaky Chair Jazz band, and the Steve Greene Trio occasionally.

"Though all communities and areas get a certain reputation (deserved or not), there is a good quality of life here, and the bulk of the people I have met here and places I have been to reflect that," Bill says. "My reason for wanting to blog about the town is at least twofold -- to vent my views and continue with writing, but also to force myself to engage in the environment in which I live. Too many people complain there is nothing to do or see, but they never actually get out and look. I don't want to be like that."